Brake for trucks



lan. 9', 1923.

A. G. STEPHENSON. BRAKE FOR TRUCKS. FlLED JANQ, |920,

2 SHEETS- SHEET Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,540

A. G, STEPHENSON. BRAKE FOR TRUCKS. F\|.ED JAN.19. 1920. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 NIN? It x N n o mi MP2.

i Patented Jan, i923..

naar.

stares einen AXEL G. STEPHENSON, OF DENVER, COLORADO, SSIGNOR, BY MESVNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE RAILWAY SAFETY APPLIANCE GOMPANY,.A CORPORATON OF COLORADO.

`isiaiixn rolay riaucxs.

Application mea January 19, ieao.` serial no. 352,533.

To @illecito/nt tf/mty concern.'

Beit known that l, AxnL G. SrnrHnNsoN,

a` citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county ot Denver and State of Colorado, have vinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Brales't'or: Trucks g` and do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description o1: the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and yuse the y same, reference being hadto the accompany- `ing drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

stations, my object being to provide a constructure of the class 'in which the brake shall be automatically and normally applied to the front wheels of the truck to prevent the latter from moving tromthe position in which it is placed. Many accidents have occurred due to the movement of trucks of this character down inclines, the trucks running upon the track` and being struck by trains. My improvement is designed to over-p,

come this difficulty. Furthermore, the improvement includes a device adapted to prevent the tendency ot the truc-lr to tip over` when the front wheels are turned at right angles to the body of the truck.

The specific construction illustrated in the drawing consists of a sort of caster wheel journalled in a stationary support and movable with the axle as the latter swings on the central. or fifth-wheel axis of the vehicle.

llaving brietly outlined my improvement,

1 will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

ln this drawing: Fig. 1 is a side lelevation of a truclc' equipped with my improvement, the spokes and the brake shoes detached from the` wheels.

The same reference characters indicate the My invention relates to improvements in` brakes for baggage trucks used at railway sameparts in all the views. Let the nu-l meral 5 designate a truck provided with the regular fifth-wheel structure 6,1 whose upper. portion 7 is stationary with the platform 8 by virtue of the connections 9, `and whose lower portion 10 is connected to rotate on an 'axis passing through the transverse center of the axle and perpendicular to the axis of the wheels in the usual manner.

A brake beam 12 is mounted in guides 13, arranged near its opposite ends, which are equipped with brake shoes 14., adapted, to engage the front wheels in the rear for braking purposes. This brake beam is further engaged by yangle extremities 15, of arms 16, constitutinga bifurcation of a bar 16, whose forward extremity is also` biturcated,` as shown at 17, to engage the lower extremity 1S of a tongue 19, the parts of the bifurcation engaging the tongue on opposite sides l and being pivotally connected therewithA as `shown at 20. The angle extremities 15 of the bar 16 engage the brake beam in such a :marmer as to'force the beam rearwardly when the tongue is ymoved to the lowered position, as indicatedin Fig. 4, the tongue be-` ing ulcrumed as shown at 21 on the forward extremities 22 of two frame bars 23 which `are connected, as shown at 25, with the axle 9A- near its opposite extremities. The 'frame bars 23 approach each other as they extend forwardlyfrom the axle and are provided with parallelrearward extensions 26 which merge intothe guide members 13, which are closed at the rear, as shown at 27.

A spiral spring 28 has one extremity connected with the central part of the axle by means of an eye bolt 29, while its opposite extremity is connected with the brake beam by a similar eye bolt 30. This spring is under tension to normally maintain the brake beam ini position to cause the brake shoes to engage the front wheels 31 of the truck and maintain the tongue 19 in the raised or upright position through the medium of the bar 16. When, however, the tongue is moved from the raised or upright position toward the 1 ground or sury it'ace` upon which the truck 1s standing, the brake beam is moved rearwardly and the brake shoes disengaged from thewheels 31, as will be readily understood.

Now, assuming that the front wheels of the truck are turned so that the axle occupies a position at right angles to the rear 10 eoinposedol two ineinbers 36, which are respeetively-eonneeted with `and supportedby the paiallel'fr'aine parts 26.

From 'the foregoing description, `the Ause and `operation-ot myV improvement will be Ii "readilyunderstood. Norniallygor when the ltruck islat rest, thebrakes Willbe applied land the ltongue will bel'inthe upright'position, "or that shown in Figs. il, Y2 Vmid 3.

y lVhen it'is desiredto niove theitruek, .the

tongue `will be lnioved downwardly to a proper position for pulling,` the =truek, 4in

Awhieli kevent the brakes Vwill be fldetaehed 'from the wheels. ils the front wheels are turned?tolthrowthefront aXle outofgparallelisi'n withthe rear faXle,'the easterwheel willy readilyfinove toia eorrespondingzposi- -tion,-tiirniiig on its own axis toifacilitat'e'and aid ins'ueh movement, land `will prevent 'any ltendency of the-truck `to tip whe-nthe S0 v'front axle isiin position atright angles to that oiftlie rear axle. Y l

Attention is Called to the fact that the traine which supports the caster wheel 33, extends `beyond the wheels of the veliielel on -the vside wherethe'brakes are applied, so thatthe easterwheel williprojeet suilieiently beyond the wheelstoigive a lateral support to the vehicle in order to` overeonie any tendency to tip over when the filont vaxlevis thrown out of parallelism with 40 'the rear'axle, or in a position at right angles thereto, as heretofore explained. `This will be readily understood from an inspection of the drawing.

I elaiin: p In combination `with f the `front wheels and f axle of av vehiele;having1tlie usuali fifth twheel structure, a frame seeur'edato Said aXle,.Said traine comprising two bars :having portions extending Jtothe front of said axle and poi'-v 50 tions extendingito the rear thereof, theportions extendingfto lthe vfront o'fthe axle Vcon- =verging, a tongue Epivotally mounted bevtween said converging portions, the portion `extending` to the rear of the `axlebeing pared-55 del and extending yrearwardly .beyond vthe `rim of the `wheels,therea-rwardend of said gparallel `portions being -reversely bent, whereby they are adapted to forin'a brake beain guide, abrake beain Sli'dably mounted v60 in saidguides, a springljoiningfsaid brake beainlto said tax-le, Said-tongue having its vend extending' below y,the said-pivot, and a bar pivo'tally eonneeted tothe end ofthe ton fue and to said brakewherebyfinovement G5 ofrsaidfton'gue vwill betransmitted `to said brake. I

,Inr testimony vwhereofiI aliixmyisignature.

AXEL e. sTnPHENsoN. 

